Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Empire State of Rebuilding - at Yankees (L 4-7, W 4-1, L 1-9)

My frustration in previous makeshift competitive years of
not winning the division was always seemed to boil down to just how damn
winnable the division was. Rebuilding
and being competitive for longer than an oddball division title turned one
playoff win is a move I’d rather get behind, but boy did this series show the
gap between the AL Central and everyone else. With teams that include
a World Series hangover, two teams in the twilight of a competitive roster, and
a 100 losses squad, it’s really the Indians controlling their own destiny as
everybody else replans and rebuilds. The
East, meanwhile, is a different kind of rat race. To the Bronx to see how the
other half lives.

It’s
hard to get frustrated at a game like Friday’s when they’re the losses you
expected to happen this year. Getting
runners in scoring position in continues to be probably the most aggravating
thing, but aside from Anderson through Abreu there really wasn’t a sequence in
the lineup I thought could get consistent consecutive hits (and with those two
slumping it’s tough to rely on sequences like Wednesday’s fourth inning as much).
Continued to be an issue tonight with six left on. Aside from a run off Chapman for the truest
Cub haters, not too much to draw from in this. Five unearned runs and more
sloppy play at first (Jose getting DH duty the next night probably a good
move).

“Live
by the long ball” still seems to be the theme here. Red hot Avi has a late
three run homer to cut most of the tension, Gonzalez long cruising by then. Both
teams seemed impatient this series in their own ways, Yankees by swinging at a
lot of early count pitches and White Sox by looking the part most of the bat
then tensing up and swinging at bad late pitches. (Overall we’re having less
really bad at-bats, but we’re still striking out a LOT). Games like these are
where I like Miguel as a pure innings eater- not expecting numbers like 60
pitches through 6, but there’s more upside than not to keeping a pitcher like
him around for the rebuild (have only heard a handful of rumors that say
otherwise, anyway). The ninth was more stressful
than it needed to be, but I’m chalking that up to Gonzalez trying to figure out
his limits and Robertson being out of place in a non-save situation.

Going
into the rubber match, all that really mattered to me was looking competitive
against Tanaka, though that didn’t pan out aside from some nice consecutive
hits capped off by an Abreu RBI double (hopefully the three hits gets him
going). These aren't the “I’m just trying
to find myself” Pinstripes anymore: Bronx bombers unloaded on us, the death
punch being Aaron Judge hitting the farthest home run in human history. It’s
probably the pettiest thing possible to pick apart one play in an eight run loss, let alone a no-call
strike, but it’s tough for a young pitcher to have to adjust the approach then
adjust after giving up a leadoff triple. It didn’t open the floodgates, but it
doesn’t make life any easier for a pitcher whose second major league start is
at Yankee Stadium when a win takes the series. The momentum never comes back
the Palehose’s way, Yankees win, thuhhh-uhh-uhh Yankees win.

Would
definitely not want to be in the AL East this year (can’t think of a season I
ever would have). Any series against their teams will be great to gauge our
progress. Right now, progressing as expected.

I'm not proud of the title but it's late and I can't think of a Rangers pun fast enough